(Newser)
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A dog that mauled a 4-year-old Phoenix boy has received thousands of pleas for mercy through a Facebook campaign ahead of a court hearing to decide his fate. A municipal court judge could rule at a March 25 hearing on whether Mickey, a pit bull that bit Kevin Vicente in the face, should be euthanized. Kevin received injuries that will require, according to doctors, months and possibly years of reconstructive surgeries. Since the Feb. 20 attack, Mickey has become the object of a Facebook page that has gotten more than 40,000 likes and an online petition to spare his life.

Attorney John Schill, who is representing the dog in the court petition, says the person watching Kevin while his mother was at work should be held responsible. "But for adults involved, this never would have happened," Schill says. "They're trying to put all the blame on Mickey." According to Guadalupe Villa, who was at the scene of the attack and whose boyfriend's mother was baby-sitting Kevin at the time, Kevin picked up a bone lying on the ground near the dog, which was kept on a chain. That's when Mickey suddenly attacked Kevin, Villa says; she also accuses Mickey of killing her dog last year.

dog tied ..dog untied.....people there ....people not there...........who is focusing on the child........his life will never be the same....what if it was your child.......destroy the dog.....jail or charge the owner and the one left with the dog and child...........this is a human we are talking about...since when does a dog get elevated above human status......that is sick.

Benjamin Ghazi

Mar 18, 2014 2:28 PM CDT

Between the members of The American Taliban, so called "christians" in America, and the sociopaths that have elevated a friggin pack animal to elite status, it is impossible to decide which group is sicker in the head. I still like my personal preference for solving doggie troubles. It is a simple mix of mole pellets and hamburger, and it seems to really make dogs QUIET!

overthehill

Mar 18, 2014 1:38 PM CDT

maybe if attacking a helpless child by ripping his face is "just a dog being a dog" we should quit owning other species as pets?